Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which reason best explains why Derek is labeled a reluctant reader?

A) He doesn’t know how to read.

B) He dislikes all forms of reading.

C) He struggles with reading long texts.

D) He is in the midst of learning English.

2. Which is the correct series of events?

A) Derek learns how to visualize.

Derek figures out that his drawings are like a flipbook.

Derek learns to animate his illustrations.

B) Derek learns to animate his illustrations.

Derek learns how to visualize.

Derek figures out that his drawings are like a flipbook.

C) Derek learns how to visualize.

Derek learns how to animate his illustrations.

Derek figures out that his drawings are like a flipbook.

D) Derek figures out that his drawings are like a flipbook.

Derek learns how to visualize.

Derek learns to animate his illustrations.

3. Which motif is not prominent in the novel?

A) Mystery

B) Nature

C) Family

D) Humor

4. Which of these could be considered a round character (someone who appears one way but turns out to have another side)?

A) Derek’s mother

B) Derek’s father

C) Derek

D) Carly

5. Which character traits explain why visualization works for Derek?

A) He’s an illustrator and likes movies.

B) He loves adventure and animals.

C) He’s a skateboarder and likes playing games.

D) He loves travelling and climbing.

6. Which of the following is not an example of how atmosphere is conveyed in the novel?

A) The illustrations in the margins of the book

B) The visualization technique that Derek learns

C) The peace and reflectiveness of South Beach

D) The humor in Derek’s mischievous moments

7. Which plot scenario best represents Derek’s struggle to grow up?

A) Derek plays fruit grenades with Matt.

B) Derek can’t stop asking questions about the article.

C) Derek allows his grandma to spoil him.

D) Derek dreads the idea of going to Learning Camp.

8. Which literary device best describes the role of Derek’s illustrations in the novel’s structure?

A) Simile

B) Illusion

C) Irony

D) Symbol

9. What is the most noticeable difference in Derek between the beginning and end of summer ?

A) He goes from being immature to mature.

B) He goes from being mean to kind.

C) He goes from being mischievous to well-behaved.

D) He goes from being insecure to confident.

10. What do Derek and his father have in common?

A) They both love drawing.

B) They both love skateboarding.

C) They both love animals.

D) They both love comic books.

11. Why does Derek empathize with Carly at the novel’s conclusion?

A) They both struggled with reading over the summer.

B) They both struggled with feeling responsible for someone dying.

C) They both struggled with being insecure about learning.

D) They both struggled with controlling their impulses.

12. How does Derek think about his relationship with Bodi?

A) He compares their relationship to Garfield and Odie.

B) He compares their relationship to Batman and Robin.

C) He compares their relationship to Calvin & Hobbes.

D) He compares their relationship to Tom and Jerry.

13. What is the truth about Susan James?

A) She drowned trying to save Derek.

B) She drowned trying to save Bodi.

C) She drowned after diving in for a swim.

D) She drowned after falling into the water.

14. How does Derek present his book report?

A) In the form of a painting

B) In the form of a skit

C) In the form of a slideshow

D) In the form of an animation

15. What does Derek learn about stories?

A) They can be told by anyone.

B) They exist in real life.

C) They are worth sharing.

D) They make people happy.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does Derek expect his summer to be, and how does it turn out? What surprises does he experience along the way?

2. How does Derek’s talent for illustration help boost his confidence and inspire him to persist in reading?

3. What does the family originally believe about Susan James, and what do they later learn? How does the truth change the way they feel?

4. How does Derek feel about his dog Bodi, and what does this show about Derek’s character?

5. What does Pedro the monkey symbolize, and how does Derek learn from him?

6. Why does Derek want to visit South Beach, and what happens when he does?

7. How does Derek’s perception of Carly change throughout the novel?

8. What is Derek’s position on learning and evolution in the beginning, and in the conclusion?